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When Can I Work the Soil?

As Spring approaches, gardeners are eager to get out into the garden. However, if your soil is wet from heavy rains, working it early means that you are actually compacting the soil and you will end up with clumpy heavy soil that’s not plant friendly.

Grab a handful of soil and squeeze it together to form a ball. If the ball breaks apart into loose pieces when squeezed, it’s time to get digging. If pressure causes the ball to break into large chunks or just flatten, it’s too wet to work. I you have heavy clay soil, break up a handful of soil before you do this test.